The Supreme Court has just released the verdict on one of the most controversial, highly discussed acts in American history. The historic decision is that the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare,is constitutional and has been upheld. This is a huge victory for the Obama administration, though the act was wildly unpopular with Republicans. Regardless, this decision will have a huge impact on America.

Individual Mandate Unconstitutional?

One of the biggest issues that those opposed to the bill had was that they felt the individual mandate was unconstitutional. What is individual mandate? The individual mandate required that individuals buy health insurance, or pay a penalty if they don’t. The critics of the individual mandate said that this was an overreach by the Obama administration. The Obama administration held that the health care mandate is constitutional under the Commerce Clause.

The decision that came out today was that, instead of the Affordable Care Act being constitutional under the Commerce Clause, it’s constitutional under the Taxing Clause. This way, the health care could be a tax and is considered constitutional this way. In a close 5-4 vote, the individual mandate and Affordable Care Act were upheld as constitutional.

Affordable Care Act Impact

The decision has been pending and stirring controversy for about 18 months. Other provisions that have gone into effect already are seniors getting free wellness exams and that children are able to stay on their parents’ insurance until they are 26-years-old.

This decision will not only affect individual families, but everyone in any kind of healthcare. Doctors, nurses and hospitals will all be affected, and this may change the way that insurance companies are run. Now that the Affordable Care Act verdict is out, there will be plenty, both critics and supporters, voicing their opinions.